Gyro indicating device



Nov. 9, 1943. Q Q CARLSON 2,333,984

GYRO INDICA'IING DEVICE Filed March 15, 1943 INVENToR. Y [5f/P75CAI/H50# Patented Nov. 9, 1943 GYRO INDICATING DEVICE Bert G. Carlson,Erieside, Ohio, assignor to Jack & Heintz, Inc., Bedford, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application March 15, 1943, Serial No. 479,206

3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to automatic pilot and gyro indicatingdevices and more particularly to improvements in the construction andoperating means for the adjustable miniature airplane, or referenceindex, on the instrument dial.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide an improvedadjustable miniature airplane, or reference index, and means foroperating the same, whereby besides ease and convenience of operationbeing obtained, there will be provided less obstruction of visibility ofthe face of the dial of the instrument in its adjusted positions in onedirection and also reference indices by which to gauge movements of theartificial horizon bar in its movements in two diiferent planes.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides inthe combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterset forth in the following specification and appended claims, certainembodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure l is a View in front elevation of the liight instrument dialshowing the miniature airplane and the artificial horizon bar horizontalbut slightly above the same.

Figure 2 is a view in rear elevation of the same with the artificialhorizon bar tilted with respect to the horizontal.

Figure 3 is a View in section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring .more particularly to the drawing,

the device to which the invention is applied may be a gyro horizonindicator in which the front cover plate I receives a glass cover 2, arim 3 with gradations, and a center disc Il over which the conventionalarticial horizon bar 5 is movable in vertical and rotary planes andcomponents thereof.

The miniature airplane, or reference index, is shown at 6 extending overthe horizontal diameter of disc 4 and having a central reference point'I and two or more intermediate reference points 8 and 9 arranged oneither side of point 'I. This miniature airplane 6 is supported by ayoke having arms l and II. Integral with the front cover plate is aplate I2 having a bearing I3 to receive a shaft I4 carrying on its oneend a miniature airplane adjusting knob I5 and near its other end a gearI6 that meshes with a larger gear II which has a shaft I8 carried byplate I2. The yoke has a horizontal slot I9 to receive a pin 23 carriedby the larger gear I'I. To the rear side of the front cover plate I issecured at 2| a plate 22 provided with a vertical slot 23 to receive insliding guiding relationship a flange 24 on the yoke which also has apair of flanges 25 slidably engaging the exterior of plate 22. Thus asknob I5 is turned counterclookwise, as viewed in Figure 1, gear I6rotates gear I'I clockwise during which the pin 20, carried by gear I1rides from left to right and forces the yoke, and consequently theminiature airplane 5, upwardly. A clockwise rotation of knob I5 likewiselowers the yoke and miniature airplane 6.

In any of the adjusted positions of the miniature airplane it serves asa ready indicator of dive and climb of the aircraft by reference theretoand to the movable artificial horizon bar 5. Moreover, by reason of thehorizontally spaced reference points 1, 8 and 9 on the miniatureairplane the degree of bank may be more readilyn determined or set, suchas shown in Figure 2 where the articial horizon bar 5 is not only tiltedhorizontally with respect to the miniature airplane but also passesthrough reference point 8 instead of the central point 1. Accompanyingthese advantages is the one of ready visibility of a substantiallygreater portion of the dial and disc 4 for reference purposes due to theyoke suspension for the miniature airplane instead of the usualsuspension by a centrally `disposed standard.

I claim:

l. In combination in a` gyro horizon indicator for aircraft, a yoke, amovable artificial horizon bar and an adjustable miniature airplanebeing supported at its ends by the arms of said yoke, a control knob andmeans actuated thereby for moving said yoke upwardly and downwardly,said means comprising a rotatable gear, a pin carried thereby, meansforming a vertical guideway for said yoke, said yoke having a horizontalguideway to receive said pin whereby rotation of said knob is adapted tomove said yoke vertically in accordance with the rotation of said knob.

2. In combination in a gyro horizon indicator for aircraft, a movableartiiicial horizon bar, a yoke and an adjustable miniature airplanebeing supported at its ends by the arms of said yoke, a control knob andmeans actuated thereby for moving said yoke upwardly and downwardly,said means comprising a rotatable gear, a pin carried thereby, meansforming a vertical guideway for said yoke, said yoke having a horizontalguideway to receive said pin whereby rotation of said knob is adapted tomove said yoke vertically in accordance with therotation of said knob,said an adjustable `miniature airplane, normally parallel to andadjacent said bar, a yoke having" 10 arms for supporting said miniatureairplane at its ends, said miniature airplane beingv provided withan'enlarged central portion and a plurality of enlarged portionsequidistantly arranged on either `side of said central portionpto formreference elements to register with said artificial hori- Y zon bar inits movements out of parallelism with the horizontal to indicate tilt ofsaid aircraft.

BERT G. CARLSON.

